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Embarrassed about his socks...but left with a smile

Jul 24, 2012by Rosemary Jones

The nonprofit Soles4Souls distributes literally thousands of shoes every year to those in need, whether they are children needing shoes to go to school in Africa, victims of natural disasters, or people struggling to find work in America. Here's just one story out of hundreds about the people they meet and good that they do:

"We had this gentleman sit down in my chair and he told me what shoe size he wore. I ran and retrieved this size, and came back to let him try them on.

He hesitated and said he really didn’t want to try them on, and he’d rather just take them. I wanted to make sure they fit and felt good.

His eyes filled up with tears, and then he asked me to come close so he could tell me something. He whispered in my ear that he was extremely embarrassed about the condition of his socks, and he promised me that he usually kept them a lot cleaner than they were that day. Then he said that if I would pinky promise that I wouldn’t judge him, he’d let me measure his foot and help him find his correct size. I locked my pinky tight with his, hugged him, and promised not to judge him.

We were able to measure his foot, find his perfect fit, and he left with a smile on his face and a new pair of shoes on his feet.

And this is why it is important for Soles4Souls to distribute shoes. It’s not just about distributing shoes; it’s about connecting with people in a way that makes a greater impact than the new shoes on their feet."

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